School-To-College (STC) is one of several diversity pipeline programs of the Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco. Currently embedded in the Academy of Arts & Sciences high school in San Francisco, the STC program provides guidance, information, coaching, encouragement and opportunity for students in grades 9-12. One of the main goals of STC is to increase the amount of diverse high school students going on to college.

JDC Diversity Pipeline Program Director Jareem Gunter recently received an email from Greg Markwith, Academy of Arts and Sciences Principal, about the impact School-To-College and the STC Coordinator Alvaro Carvajal has had on the school:

“Alvaro Carvajal and the School-To-College program has become an integral part of our student support services at the Academy of Arts and Sciences. For the first time we have a dedicated college center in the form of a former classroom, and Alvaro has spent the first semester purchasing furniture, bringing in six computers and cleaning up a previously empty classroom so student feel safe and comfortable. Not only is he professional and dedicated to his program, but he forges relationships and partnerships with students and adults on campus so that STC lives in the fabric of the school rather than the physical space it inhabits.
As the principal of the school, my goal is to surround my students with the best people possible and Alvaro fits that bill. He is someone that I want informing and supporting the ongoing improvement of our school program.

Several pieces of data clearly show the impact Alvaro and the School-To-College program have on our students.During the Fall 2014 semester, Alvaro worked with most of our seniors on college counseling, tutoring, coordination of resources and case management. From last Fall 2013 to Fall, 2014, we saw a 10% drop in the D and F rate for our seniors, including a 5% drop in Ds and 4% drop in Fs. And, we saw a 27% drop in Ds and Fs for our African American students and a 25% drop in Ds and Fs for our Latino students.

This data means that more our students will not only graduate but be eligible for a four-year school and we will have the highest percentage of seniors eligible for a four-year university in the ten-year history of our school.”

To learn more about the School-To-College (STC) program, visit www.sfbar.org/stc.